Medical & Dental Education

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory offers curricular instruction in gross anatomy, applied anatomy, histology, and general and systemic pathology to the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM), and to the School of Dentistry at UCLA.

Our Department also offers selective courses for first and second year medical students, including Radiology and Anatomy, Surgical Anatomy, Dissection of Human Cadavers, Advanced Head and Neck Anatomy, and others. Selective courses are taught also for dental students, and they include Head and Neck anatomy, and Dissection. Elective courses for fourth year medical students are an important portion of our educational mission; every academic year we teach several rounds of Surgical Pathology, Autopsy Pathology, Ophthalmic Pathology, Neuropathology, Transfusion Medicine, Surgical Anatomy, Emergency Medicine Skills, and Advanced Radiology, and Applied Anatomy. Courses offered for Graduate Students are listed in the Research section of this web site, and a description of the Post-Sophomore Fellowship in Pathology is presented in the Clinical Training section.

Many of our faculty members lead activities in multiple undergraduate and graduate courses including Cell and Tissue Biology, Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, and the multidisciplinary Clinical Applications for Basic Science.

School of Dentistry Curriculum

Anatomy

This course is required of all 1st year dental students and consists of ten weeks of lecture and lab instruction in anatomy, including the fundamentals of all systems while taking a regional approach which includes study of the back, thorax, abdomen, upper limb, axilla and shoulder, head and neck - with emphasis on cranial nerves and oromaxillofacial anatomy. The Gross Anatomy laboratory sessions include traditional cadaver dissection, along with customized, computer-guided, independent learning modules.

• Advanced Dissection Selective: The Division offers a 56 hour (18 unit) selective course in Advanced Dissection during the Spring and Summer quarters for Oromaxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) Track students going into the second year. The emphasis is on getting additional experience in developing hand skills through the dissection of the skin & fascia, and specially targeted regions of the head & neck. Students in this selective are also required to take and pass the Head and Neck Anatomy Review Course for Dental Residents.
• Head & Neck Anatomy Review Course for Dental Residents: In addition, the Division of Integrative Anatomy offers a required Head and Neck Anatomy Review Course to all of the UCLA dentistry residents. The clinical anatomy of all aspects of the head and neck are covered including face & scalp, cranial cavity & nerves, orbit, ear, nasal cavity, infratemporal fossa, pterygopalatine fossa, nasal cavities, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and anterior triangle of the neck.

Histology & Histopathology

At the UCLA DGSOM, Histology in the DGSOM at UCLA is taught through a team-based learning (TBL) approach in laboratory sessions. Students prepare materials on their own, and take individual and group assessments in the laboratory. Sessions include the study of virtual slides, and specific exercises on clinical application of basic histology. These take place at Geffen Hall, and in the Histopathology Laboratory located at 1P-151 CHS, which includes eight large tables with computers equipped with Aperio software for the use of virtual slides. Most laboratory session end with examination of specimens to illustrate gross pathology, and to assist the students in the learning process of bridging the aspects of basic-science microscopic anatomy with clinical aspects of macro-anatomy.

• Block 1 - Fundamental aspects of histology, introduction to human tissues, histology of the skin, and introductory concepts such as cell injury, repair, inflammation and neoplasia
• Block 2 - Cardiovascular, respiratory and renal systems
• Block 3 - GI and reproductive systems
• Block 4 - Histology of bone, cartilage and skeletal muscle
• Block 5 - Neurobiology

School of Medicine Curriculum

Anatomy

During the first and second years of the medical curriculum, anatomy is taught through lectures and laboratory sessions. Lectures are included as part of the curriculum's block 1, 2, 3, 4 and 9. 

• Block 1 - Fundamental aspects of the nervous system
• Block 2 - Cardiovascular, respiratory and renal systems
• Block 3 - GI and reproductive systems
• Block 4 - Musculoskeletal anatomy, including joints and limb anatomy
• Block 9 - Reviews of cardiovascular, respiratory and renal systems

Laboratory sessions are taught in the Gross Anatomy Laboratory located at 73-167 CHS. The DGSOM Gross Anatomy Laboratory' houses 30 cadaver stations and allows for the use of both embalmed and unembalmed cadavers for the study of basic, clinical, applied, radiological and surgical anatomy. In compliance with UCLA Environmental Health and Science, and OSHA, the Gross Anatomy laboratory offers a technologically-advanced environment that incorporates high-heat instrument-cleaning equipment, aspirators, surgical lighting, surgical and dissection tools, and first-rate audio-visual equipment - surgical cameras capable of broadcasting to the highest resolution plasma screens throughout the lab, as well as to individual monitors adjacent to each cadaver table. Live and recorded activities and events can be easily broadcasted to adjacent classrooms, other areas in the hospital, and off-campus. The high quality sound system allows for guided instruction from the teaching tables to all student tables and for teleconferencing. All Gross Anatomy laboratory sessions are mostly based on prosected cadavers, with several opportunities for the first year students to dissect certain anatomical structures. Emphasis is given to clinical application of basic anatomical study. For example, most first-year lab sessions include a clinical application such as an ultrasound "hands-on" rotation, an exercise with surgeons to illustrate the relevance of anatomical knowledge in surgical practice etc.

The Department offers a 40-hour Dissection Program during the summer for the students going into the second year. In addition, the majority of second-year medical students also participate in a Dissection course in the Fall and Winter. Gross Anatomy content for Step I exam preparation and review includes open laboratory sessions with student-driven reviews of relevant materials.

During the third year of the medical curriculum, anatomy is incorporated in review/reinforcing sessions at the beginning of clerkships of applied anatomy specialties, such as ObGyn and Surgery. All third year students rotate through the anatomy laboratory during Orientation to Third year; procedures such as Foley catheter placement are practiced by MS3.

During Foundations Week (first week of fourth year of medical school), all students rotate through the anatomy lab to practice procedures such as intubation, other airway management procedures, line placements, surgical procedure skill training, and emergency skill training.  During the fourth year, gross anatomy is incorporated in elective courses that target clinical anatomy relevant to applied anatomy specialties (radiology, general surgery and other surgery specialties) as well as acute care specialties (emergency medicine, anesthesiology). A full listing of anatomy courses can be found here.

The Department's presence in the fourth-year curriculum is extensive; all senior students rotate through the anatomy lab as part of College Foundations week, and as many as two-thirds of fourth-year medical students attend the anatomy lab at least once during their fourth-year training.

Embryology

Embryology in the DGSOM at UCLA is taught through lectures and laboratory sessions. Lectures are included as part of the curriculum in Blocks 1, 2, 3 and 4.

• Block 1 - Fundamental aspects of embyrological development for the first 8 weeks of gestation, as well as for the fetal period through birth. Methods of development staging, determinants of fetal growth, and an introduction to teratogenesis and birth defects are included in lecture and in laboratory exercises. Students can learn crucial content about the Category X teratogen Accutane (isotretinoin) and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
• Block 2 - Special systems development for the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and presentation of common and clinical relevant dysmorphologies, such as atrial and ventricular septal defects, tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great vessels, and tracheoesophageal fistulas.
• Block 3 - Special systems development for the GI and reproductive systems, then later encompassing renal/urinary development and separate weeks of content for both sexes. Common and clinically relevant dysmorphologies (birth defects) are covered for all system components.
• Block 4 - Development of head and neck, including the pharyngeal arches, face, and the major glands. Common and clinically relevant dysmorphologies are discussed, including cleft lip and cleft palate.

Histology

Histology and Histopathology in the DGSOM at UCLA is taught through a team-based learning (TBL) approach in laboratory sessions. These take place in the Histopathology Laboratory located at 1P-151 CHS, which includes eight large tables with computers equipped with Aperio software for the study of virtual slides.

• Block 1 - Fundamental aspects of histology, introduction to human tissues, histology of the skin, and introductory concepts such as cell injury, repair, inflammation and neoplasia
• Block 2 - Cardiovascular, respiratory and renal systems
• Block 3 - GI and reproductive systems
• Block 4 - Histology of bone, cartilage and skeletal muscle

Pathology

Pathology in the DGSOM at UCLA is taught through a team-based learning (TBL) approach in laboratory sessions. These take place in the Histopathology Laboratory located at 1P-151 CHS, which includes eight large tables with computers equipped with Aperio software for the study of virtual slides; some sessions take place in the 63-167 CHS laboratory equipped with computers.

• Block 6 - Hematopathology
• Block 8 - GI and reproductive systems
• Block 9 - Cardiovascular, respiratory and renal systems

Pathology is now an elective subspecialty rotation in the Third Year Surgical rotation for MS3.

Surgical Pathology, Autopsy Pathology, Ophthalmic Pathology, Neuropathology, and Transfusion Medicine are offered to fourth year medical students.

Other Resources

• David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
• UCLA School of Dentistry
• Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
• UCLA Office of Instructional Development (OID)
• Medical Student Education

Elena Stark, MD, PhD
Vice Chair for Medical
and Dental Education

Contact Information

Elena Stark, MD, PhD
CHS 50-060
Phone: (310) 206-9238 | Email